Kids Don’t Always Know When News Is Fake

A new study from a group of researchers at Stanford is making waves with the finding that kids can’t identify “fake news” nor can they distinguish “sponsored content” from reported news. Of course, this concerns parents and educators.

Helping Kids Be More Media-Savvy

Here are some things you can do to help kids read more critically:

Talk/listen to kids about what they are reading and share what you are reading.

For middle school and high school kids, introduce them to the concept of the “filter bubble.” The “filter bubble” means that our searches and social choices feed algorithms about our preferences that make it more likely we’ll be shown news that confirms, rather than stretches, our view of the world.

For kids of all ages, if they are concerned about what they are hearing or reading, be sure they know they can talk with you about the news.

Advise them to look for terms like “sponsored content” and to turn on their skeptical brain when they read. But we should never make kids feel dumb if they are taken in by a “fake news” story. We want our kids to have healthy skepticism and to be mad at anyone who attempts to dupe them.

Teach kids to check out who produced a story and to consider how different sources might compare in terms of trustworthiness.

What other things have you done to address this issue? Please share them with me in the comments section below, or here on my Facebook page.

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About Dr. Devorah Heitner

An expert on young people’s relationship with digital media and technology, Dr. Devorah Heitner is the author ofScreenwise: Helping Kids Thrive (and Survive) in Their Digital World and founder of Raising Digital Natives. Her mission is to cultivate a culture of empathy and social/emotional literacy. Dr. Heitner’s work has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, TIME magazine and Education Week. She has a Ph.D. in Media/Technology & Society from Northwestern University and has taught at DePaul and Northwestern. She is delighted to be raising her own digital native.